Why Buy an HP EX487 Windows Home Server?

I noticed that Newegg was offering the HP EX487 Windows Home Server as one of their deals. It’s $50 off list (a common promotion these days) with free shipping. This is the 1.5 TB version with two hard drives. With drives being so cheap these days I decided to check out the HP EX485 Windows Home Server which is the 750GB one drive version. Other than the additional drive the servers are the same.

The HP EX485 also has the same $50 discount from Newegg (among other places) and free shipping. But with a $150 price difference that’s a pretty expensive 750GB hard drive. I did find Western Digital’s high-end 750GB drive for $150 but it was the most expensive one. I’m not sure what drives are in the EX487, but I doubt it’s this one. So the bump in price is more than the value of the drive.

Then there’s the convenience of getting a server with two drives and having it ready to go with file duplication. The value of this would vary by person, but with drives so easy to install it shouldn’t be worth very much.

Newegg is offering a combo deal that adds two more drives (to max it out) to the EX487 and takes $89 off the total package. I’m still not sure this makes it worth it, I suppose it helps if you want the 500GB drives it includes.

I have to admit an affinity for the Western Western Digital Green drives in a Windows Home Server. With their low power usage, low heat and quiet operation they’re perfect for an always-on server. Their performance is fine for streaming video and serving files.

Any other reasons to get the EX487 instead of the EX485? Who’s buying the EX487?